Bringing a new employee, contractor, or vendor into your organization is about more than just handing over a job description and showing them where the coffee machine is. The onboarding process is a critical component of setting your new hires up for success. A thoughtfully designed onboarding experience not only ensures that employees have the tools they need to thrive but also makes them feel welcomed, valued, and aligned with the company’s goals and culture.
Whether you’re bringing in full-time employees, contractors, or vendors, a successful onboarding process is essential for boosting engagement, productivity, and retention. Here are just a few interesting statistics about the power of onboarding:
- Strong employee onboarding improves retention by 82%
- Only 12% of employees are confident about their organization’s onboarding
- 55% of organizations don’t measure onboarding effectiveness
The first days and weeks in a new role are pivotal. This is the time when employees form lasting impressions of the organization, their colleagues, and their own roles. An effective onboarding program ensures that these impressions are positive and empowering. Here, we outline seven best practices for creating an impactful onboarding experience that sets up new hires—whether full-time or contract—for long-term success.
1. Preboarding Preparation
The onboarding journey should begin well before the new hire’s first day. Studies show successful teams are 53% more likely to preboard new hires.
This crucial “preboarding” phase helps create a sense of anticipation and ensures that when they start, they’re not bogged down with logistics and administrative tasks that could have been handled in advance. Preboarding helps the new hire feel valued and ready to contribute right from the get-go.
Begin by ensuring that all necessary paperwork, from tax forms to employment contracts, is completed digitally ahead of time. This reduces stress on day one and leaves room for more meaningful introductions. Additionally, you can make the new hire feel welcome by sending them a welcome package. This package could include company swag (like a branded notebook, t-shirt, or mug), a warm welcome letter from their team, and an overview of what to expect during their first week.
Another critical component of preboarding is ensuring that their workspace is ready. Whether it’s setting up their physical office space with the necessary tools and equipment or ensuring that remote employees have access to systems, software, and any other resources they need, this preparation sets the stage for a smooth start. When new hires walk in on day one and see that everything is ready for them, they immediately feel respected and cared for.
2. Structured Orientation Program
A well-organized orientation program is the cornerstone of any successful onboarding process. Orientation is an opportunity to formally introduce new hires to the company’s mission, vision, and values, helping them understand not just what the company does, but why it does it. This sense of purpose and alignment is crucial for fostering early engagement.
During orientation, schedule time for the new hire to meet key team members from various departments. It’s essential for them to grasp the overall structure of the company, the services or products it provides, and how their role fits into the larger picture. These meetings with leadership and colleagues help build relationships and provide a well-rounded understanding of the company’s goals and culture.
Orientation also provides a platform to introduce employees to company policies, expectations, and performance metrics. Having a well-structured orientation program ensures consistency and helps every new hire—regardless of role—get off to a productive and aligned start.
3. Clear Role Definition and Expectations
One of the most important elements of successful onboarding is ensuring that the new hire has a clear understanding of their role and what is expected of them. Starting a new job is already a complex transition, and nothing adds more stress than ambiguous responsibilities.
To avoid this, provide a detailed job description outlining their core responsibilities, key performance indicators (KPIs), and any deliverables expected in the short- and long-term. Setting clear expectations for the role helps the new hire understand exactly what success looks like and ensures that they can hit the ground running without confusion.
It’s also essential to have regular check-ins with the new employee during the first few weeks. These check-ins serve two purposes: they provide an opportunity to clarify any uncertainties regarding the role, and they offer early feedback on the new hire’s progress. These open lines of communication ensure that new hires feel supported and know where they stand, which ultimately reduces anxiety and improves performance.
4. Mentorship and Buddy System
A mentorship or buddy system is an invaluable part of a successful onboarding experience. Harvard Business Review reports new hires with buddies were 23% more satisfied with their overall onboarding experience.
When new hires join your company, they are not just learning their job—they are learning how to navigate your company’s culture, processes, and unspoken rules. A mentor or buddy can help guide them through these intricacies.
Pairing new hires with experienced employees helps create a support system. Mentors or buddies can answer day-to-day questions that the new hire may not feel comfortable asking a manager, offer insights into company culture, and introduce them to other colleagues. This relationship helps new hires integrate more smoothly and feel more connected to the team.
A good mentor can also provide a broader perspective on career growth within the company, offering guidance on how to succeed in the long term. Whether it’s informal check-ins over coffee or a more structured mentoring relationship, having someone to turn to can significantly ease the transition for new employees.
5. Continuous Training and Development
Onboarding doesn’t end after the first week, or even the first month. True onboarding involves continuous learning and development to help employees fully integrate into their roles and stay engaged. Regularly scheduled training sessions, workshops, and access to online learning platforms can help employees refine their skills, learn new tools, and stay updated on industry best practices.
Continuous development isn’t just about technical training—it’s also an opportunity to foster soft skills, leadership abilities, and cross-departmental collaboration. Providing access to ongoing training also sends a powerful message: your company is invested in your employees’ growth and success.
By implementing a long-term development plan, you’re ensuring that employees don’t plateau after the initial onboarding phase. Instead, they remain engaged and continuously improve, making them more valuable to the company and more satisfied in their roles.
6. Feedback and Improvement
A successful onboarding process is one that evolves and improves over time. To achieve this, it’s essential to gather feedback from new hires about their experience. Soliciting feedback not only shows that you value their input, but it also helps you identify any areas of the onboarding process that may need adjustment.
Create a feedback loop by asking new employees to share their thoughts at the end of the first week, after their first month, and after three months. You can gather this information through one-on-one meetings, surveys, or informal discussions. Some questions to consider might include:
- What aspects of onboarding helped you feel prepared for your role?
- What part of the onboarding process could be improved?
- Were there any resources or information you felt were missing?
Using this feedback, you can continuously improve the onboarding process to ensure it remains relevant, effective, and employee-centered. Making these adjustments will not only benefit future hires but also contribute to a culture of continuous improvement and openness.
7. Tailoring Onboarding for Contractors
While full-time employees often receive more formalized onboarding, it’s important to remember that contractors and vendors are also key contributors to your organization’s success. The onboarding process should be tailored to ensure contractors feel welcomed and fully integrated into the team, even if their stay is temporary.
Though contractors may have different levels of access to internal systems and information, it’s still critical that they feel like part of the organization. A contractor who feels connected and included is more likely to be productive, stay for the full duration of their contract, and even consider transitioning into a full-time role, if appropriate.
Make sure contractors are introduced to key team members, given a brief orientation on company policies, and provided with clear expectations for their roles. This not only improves their performance but also strengthens your working relationship with them. Contractors who feel valued are more likely to deliver high-quality work and recommend your company to others in their professional network.
Start Your New Hires Off Right
Effective onboarding is a comprehensive process that sets the tone for an employee’s entire experience with your company. By taking a thoughtful, structured approach to onboarding—from preboarding preparation to continuous training and development—you can ensure that new hires feel supported, engaged, and aligned with your company’s goals.Whether you’re onboarding full-time employees, contractors, or vendors, these best practices will help create a positive and impactful experience. This will not only lead to higher productivity and retention but also foster a more cohesive, motivated team that’s set up for long-term success. Ensure you hire the right person for the job first. Get started with Zilker Partners today.
